Prove Yourself

Jake

“You do not deserve to be your father's son,” Cindy said, her voice dripping with disdain.

I felt my blood boil, my face flushing with anger. I wanted to slap her, to make her feel the pain that her words had caused.

But I knew that wouldn't solve anything. It would only make things worse. So I took a deep breath, trying to keep my temper under control.

“Cindy, that's not fair,” I said, my voice tight. “You don't know anything about me or my father.”

“Oh, please,” she said, her laugh full of derision.

“You think you know us so well? You think you're so much better than me?” I said to her as I met her gaze, refusing to back down.

“I have done what I've done for a reason,” I said, my voice cool and confident. “And I'm not going to apologize for it.”

“You should be ashamed of yourself,” she said, her eyes flashing with anger. I held her gaze, unyielding.

“Why should I be ashamed of doing the right thing?” I asked, my voice firm.

“Do you think what you did was the right thing? I